Thank you for stepping up to fund the Blocks as they serve as missionaries at Village of Hope in Guatemala.
It is my pleasure to announce that the Blocks are now FULLY FUNDED!
Glory and praises to God for His provision, and thank YOU for being His hands and feet!
It is my pleasure to share with you today a post written by an amazing teenager named Addisyn Block over at Life as a Missionary Kid. I pray you’ll join her in her efforts. I just love this girl!
In eighth grade, my life was completely changed when I went to Ethiopia to adopt my sister Havyn. Before that, I knew poverty existed. I had heard about it and seen pictures, I even had four adopted siblings, but once I saw these precious children first hand, I could no longer pretend that poverty didn't exist. As I held their small hungry bodies in my arms and whispered in their ear that Jesus loves them, I knew that there was no way I could leave that place unchanged. I couldn't just go home and forget about them, so I prayed a really dangerous prayer that day in Ethiopia, I prayed that God would use me and that He would break my heart.
He did just that.
I left there with a piece of my heart missing and I could not get those children off my mind. One of my favorite verses comes from Proverbs 24:12. It tells is, "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know and hold us responsible to act." Now that I knew, I could no longer just go on living like I used to. I had to do something about what I had seen.
As as 14 year old, I didn't think I had much to give, but I've learned that God doesn't care about how much you have, instead He cares about your heart. I may not have had much, but I was willing to give up the little that I did have for His glory, and He used that and multiplied it.
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”- John 6:9
Most of you know the story of how Jesus fed the 5,000. A young boy had some food that he was willing to share. Although it wasn't much, God blessed it and used it to feed so many more people that it was originally planned for. That's what God did with me. As I started my freshman year of high school, I began eating a simple bowl of cheap soup like I had seen the kids in Ethiopia eat. I would pray for the children as I ate it, and I would donate that $2.00 that I would have had to pay for lunch at school. Like the boy in the story, people were doubtful. They would make fun of me as I stood by the microwave every day heating up my small bowl of soup, but there were also those that were interested. They would ask questions, giving me the opportunity to tell them about what the Lord was doing in my life, and some of them even agreed to join me.
As I realized that there were other people who were willing to help, I couldn't help but think how cool it would be if we could get people from all over the world to join us for just one day, for just one lunch. So, we began spreading the word through blogs, Facebook and newspapers, and we couldn't believe the response. On February 3rd, my 100th day of eating soup, we raised over $6,000 dollars, because a bunch of people were willing to give up their lunch to make a difference.
Three years later, God continues to answer the prayer I prayed in Ethiopia. He has continued to break me and use me. My family now serves as missionaries in Guatemala at Village of Hope. Daily God continues show me the need and allow me the opportunity to do what I can do with the little I have. So I ask, will you join me in making a difference in the lives of the Guatemalans this February 3rd?
To donate online click DONATE below:
Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
*Indicate for VOH One Day/One Lunch
When I saw this shirt for sale (with proceeds benefitting Village of Hope—Guatemala!), I knew I had to get one for Selah.
Know why?
Selah has holoprosencephaly, a rare brain malformation that typically isn’t compatible with life.
Know what the medical abbreviation is for holoprosencephaly is?
HPE.
Know what Selah really has?
HoPE.
Yep, Selah has HoPE!
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24
Our beautiful (on the inside and out) Mattie is such a dear blessing to our family. What a rare treasure she is! Mattie’s got a lot of talents, a servant’s heart, a compassionate, kind, caring spirit, she has a heart for the least of these, and continuously finds ways to be His hands and feet. Mattie’s heart’s desire is to serve orphans and one day be a loving wife and dedicate her years to raising her family and taking care of her home. The young man who has the privilege of marrying our daughter one day will be one blessed man indeed! There’s no doubt, I am one blessed momma to have the privilege of calling this sparkling gem my daughter. Thank you, Jesus!
Mattie is starting her own little blog, so hop on over and wish her a happy birthday HERE. We love you, Mattie!
Thank you for all of the wonderful and helpful info about supplements. Whew, there’s a lot to learn, but I appreciate the tips.
Now, here’s another question for y’all, which will probably be a little more limited in who’s able to respond. We need to get an adaptive bed/safety bed for Cooper. He’s learned how to rock his crib to the point where it fell up against Conner’s crib! (Cooper’s crib is perpendicular to Conner’s, with about 2 1/2 feet in between the cribs.) The only thing that keeps Cooper from crawling out of his crib is that he must wear his foot braces/bar shoes when he’s in his crib. The bar shoes prevent Cooper from hiking his leg over the edge of his crib to crawl out. Otherwise, he’d be out of there in no time flat.
Up until recently, I didn’t even know adaptive beds/safety beds existed, and, had I known, I probably would have thought it was cruel and unusual punishment. Until I had three children with special needs who all would NEED an adaptive bed to keep them safe (once they are longer safe in their cribs).
An adaptive bed is used for children who have special needs and are unable (for whatever reason) to sleep in a regular/traditional/typical bed. In Cooper’s case, he needs the confinement of a crib to keep him safe, yet he’s no longer safe in his current crib. Since Cooper is non-verbal and doesn’t obey commands, he wouldn’t be able to call out to us at night for help, and we wouldn’t be able to insure he’d stay in a regular bed. In fact, I’m positive he’d just climb right out because I’ve watched him do it. He’d be all over the place, into everything, and totally unsafe if he could get out of his bed. (Cooper doesn’t sleep well—lots of night time waking, but if he’s in an adaptive bed that keeps him safe and contained, he’ll be content to play with toys in his safe place until it’s time to get up, or until he goes back to sleep, whichever comes first.)
There are TONS of options for adaptive beds. It would be nice to have one with padding inside because Cooper bangs his bar shoes against the crib rails, which has banged up the wood and taken the finish off.
So, my quest for today is to gather information on adaptive beds for children with special needs. I’ve been told that many times insurance will cover the bed if a doctor writes a prescription for it and explains the medical necessity, so that’s the route we’ll try first. (If not, I’ll probably just buy the Nickel Bed Tent, but I’m not sure that it would keep Cooper contained because he’d thrash his bar shoes against the edges, which might tear it.)
I asked this same question on Facebook yesterday and got some good suggestions. Just wondering about pros and cons of various beds, what my options are, which bed(s) are people’s favorites, etc. Eventually, we’ll need to get an adaptive bed for both Selah and Conner as well, so hopefully I’ll learn from y’all which ones to avoid and which ones are fabulous.
Thanks so much!
I’d love to learn more about using natural supplements for children with brain malformations. There’s such a huge variety of literature available, I’m not even sure where to start. None of Selah’s specialists have recommended supplements, but I know a few of the obvious correlations with supplements like fish oil helping the brain to make connections.
Selah has such a wide variety of symptoms and brain challenges, it’s hard to pinpoint which things to target. Then there’s the whole cost factor. Supplements are expensive, so I’d need to go with the most bang for the buck. What’s most likely to make the biggest difference? I need to prioritize.
Another factor to consider is that Selah is super picky about medicines and vitamins. She loathes liquid medicines, yet her chewable vitamins/medicines/supplements have to be super yummy for her to chew them up and swallow them. And there’s no disguising the liquids in foods. She detects that technique immediately and spits it out.
So, if you have knowledge in the area of using supplements to help children who have special needs with brain function, and you have a moment to share your expertise with me, I’d sure love to hear from you. Please leave a comment so others can benefit, but if you can’t get the commenting system to work, feel free to email me at BossYourHeart {at} gmail {dot} com. Thanks!
Many times we pray for ways to live out James 1:27, ways we can care for widows and orphans in their distress. Many times we don’t have the funds to contribute financially, but we can pray and serve.
But our hearts long to do more. Much more.
But how? Who? When? Where? We already know the why.
Today I am sharing with you a way that is one of those MUCH MORE ways to help widows and orphans in their distress.
This is a way that I believe every single one of us can participate.
This is a $5 campaign that will make an immeasurable difference in the lives of countless orphans and widows in Guatemala. I believe every single one of us can come up with $5/month.
Will you STEP UP to care for widows and orphans in their distress by pledging $5 monthly?
Your $5/month contribution WILL make a difference because God multiplies our giving and provides exceedingly and abundantly more than we ask for. He loves a cheerful giver. He loves the least of these. He loves to see His people STEP UP in pure religion, caring for orphans and widows in their distress.
Please read the following excerpt, written by my friend, Gina, then prayerfully consider STEPPING UP to support the Blocks as they selflessly, faithfully, cheerfully, and wholeheartedly serve the least of these in Guatemala:
Imagine with me if you will: You, your spouse and your 9 children are living a comfortable and blessed life. You have access to quality education, top-notch ...health care and resources abound. Your family and friends are at most a short plane ride away.
And then you hear HIM. God is calling you and your family to something MORE. A life that will stretch you physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually more than you can possibly imagine. Yet all that matters is this: the one small voice that proclaims “GO”.
So you quit your jobs, sell most of your possessions, say goodbye to family and friends-including your two oldest sons’-and you, your spouse and 7 of your 9 children move to a developing country 1100 miles away. You don’t speak the language and you know very few people there.
17 months ago that is exactly what the Block family did. Not knowing exactly what God had planned for them once they arrived, they KNEW they were obeying God’s call on their lives and they had FAITH. Today the Block’s serve at Village of Hope-Guatemala; a ministry they founded 7 months ago in San Lucas, Guatemala. Village of Hope exists to provide faith, family and future to special orphans with special needs, along with ministering to the local community through teaching them about the love of Jesus Christ. You can learn more about Village of Hope HERE.
Since the Block’s relocated to Guatemala, their only source of income has been provided by generous donors who have agreed to partner with the Block’s on a monthly basis. This income ensures that the Block’s needs are met and they can devote 100% of their skills and energy to the ministry. Unfortunately the Block’s have never been 100% funded which has made it difficult to meet their family’s basic monthly needs. It is time to change that.
We are stepping out in faith and BELIEVE we can have the Block’s fully funded in 1 week. We are looking for 200 individuals who would like to partner with the Block’s. For only $5 per month, and a 12 month minimum commitment (that’s only $60 for one year of support!), you have the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing at Village of Hope. You may think your $5 donation won’t make a difference. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In order to support the Block’s follow THIS LINK; select “monthly support”; select “Todd & Amy Block, Guatemala (97808) from the list of missionaries; complete the online form; click “submit payment”.
Please prayerfully consider supporting this precious family and share this need on your Facebook Walls and Blogs. We have one week to make our goal and we need everyone’s help to make that happen. Thank you!
To truly see a glimpse into the beautiful heart of the Block family, please visit their blog HERE and read their latest post.
A percentage of all your Amazon purchases made via this link will support orphan care! Just click link and shop as you normally would each time you make an Amazon purchase. Thank you!
